What does "battle" mean?
A contest, a struggle.
Battle
/ˈbætl̩/ adj, name, noun, verb
adj, name, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A contest, a struggle.
- Grammar: battle is listed as adj, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: conflict, engagement, fight, struggle.
- Useful contrasts: accept, accommodation, armistice.
- Usage evidence: We can say that Japan was fighting a constant battle against hunger during the war.
How to use "battle"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "battle" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "battle" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "battle" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "battle" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "battle" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "conflict" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "battle", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A contest, a struggle.
"the battle of life"
- 2 an energetic attempt to achieve something wordnet
- 3 A contest, a struggle.; A one-on-one competition in rapping or breakdance.
- 4 a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war wordnet
- 5 A general action, fight, or encounter, in which all the divisions of an army are or may be engaged; a combat, an engagement.
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 an open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals) wordnet
- 7 A division of an army; a battalion. archaic
"Thenne kyng Arthur made redy his hooſt in x batails and Nero was redy in the felde afore the caſtel Tarabil with a grete hooſt / & he had x batails with many mo peple than Arthur had […]"
- 8 The main body of an army, as distinct from the vanguard and rear; the battalia. obsolete
"Iohn Duke of Norfolke, Thomas Earle of Surrey, Shall haue the leading of the Foot and Horſe. They thus directed, we will fllow ^([sic]) In the maine Battell, whose puiſſance on either ſide Shall be well-winged with our cheefeſt Horſe: This, and Saint George to boote."
- 9 Clipping of battle buddy. abbreviation, alt-of, clipping
Verb
- 1 To join in battle; to contend in fight intransitive
"Scientists always battle over theories."
- 2 To feed or nourish (someone or something). Northern-England, Scotland, UK, dialectal, transitive
- 3 battle or contend against in or as if in a battle wordnet
- 4 To fight or struggle; to enter into a battle with. transitive
"She has been battling cancer for years."
- 5 To render (land, soil, etc.) fertile or fruitful. Northern-England, Scotland, UK, dialectal, transitive
"To Devonſhire or Denſhire land. That is, to pare off the ſurface or top turf thereof, and to lay it upon heaps and burn it; vvhich aſhes are a marvelous improvement to battle barren land, by reaſon of the fixt ſalt vvhich they contain."
Adjective
- 1 Of grass or pasture: nutritious to cattle or sheep; fattening, nourishing.
"battle grass battle pasture"
- 2 Of land (originally pastureland) or soil: fertile, fruitful. broadly
"battle land battle soil"
Proper Noun
- 1 A habitational surname from Middle English from places in England that have been sites of a battle.
- 2 A place name:; A town and civil parish with a town council in Rother district, East Sussex, England; supposed site of the Battle of Hastings (OS grid ref TQ7416).
- 3 A place name:; A hamlet in Yscir community, Powys, Wales (OS grid ref SO0131).
- 4 A place name:; A river in Saskatchewan, Canada.
- 5 A place name:; A former unincorporated community in Carbon County, Washington, United States. historical
Antonyms
Example
"We can say that Japan was fighting a constant battle against hunger during the war."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "battle"?
Common synonyms include: conflict, engagement, fight, struggle, action, actium.
How do you use "battle" in a sentence?
We can say that Japan was fighting a constant battle against hunger during the war.
How do you pronounce "battle"?
Pronounced /ˈbætl̩/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English batel, batell, batelle, batayle, bataylle, borrowed from Old French bataille, from Late Latin battālia, variant of battuālia (“fighting and fencing exercises”) from Latin battuō (“to strike, hit, beat, fight”), of uncertain origin. Possibly from a Gaulish or Proto-Germanic root from Proto-Indo-European *bʰedʰ- (“to stab, dig”), related to Old English beado (“battle”); or possibly from a Proto-Indo-European *bʰew- (“to hit, strike, beat”). Doublet of battalia and battel. Displaced native Old English ġefeoht, beado, camp, and wīg (“battle”), among others.
Etymology 2
From Early Modern English batell, probably from Middle English *batel (“flourishing”), from Old English *batol (“improving, tending to be good”), from batian (“to get better, improve”) + -ol ( + -le).
Etymology 3
Capitalization of battle. Doublet of Battaglia.